Steven J PearlmanPartner

Steven Pearlman is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department and co-head of the firm's Whistleblowing & Retaliation Group. Steven’s practice focuses on defending complex employment litigation involving claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation; wage-and-hour laws; breach of contract; and restrictive covenants (e.g., non-competition agreements). He has successfully tried cases to verdict in Illinois, Florida and California, and defended what is reported to be the largest Illinois-only class action in the history of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Steven is recognized for his accomplishments and thought leadership in the field of labor and employment law. He was one of just two lawyers named to the Ethisphere "Attorneys Who Matter" list in the area of labor and employment, one of five U.S. lawyers selected by Law 360 as a "Rising Star Under 40" in the area of employment law and one of "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch" selected by Law Bulletin Publishing Company from a field of 1,200 nominees. He has also been named as an Illinois Super Lawyer and recognized by The U.S. Legal 500. Also, Steve is a 2014 Burton Award Winner for “Distinguished Legal Writing.” Steven was also named to the Law 360 Employment Editorial Advisory Board (2014 and 2015).

Steven was appointed to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois in employment litigation matters. The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) Administrative Review Board has invited him to serve as a stakeholder in its rule-making and related proceedings and to serve in an amicus curiae capacity. A sought-after commentator on a range of legal issues, Steven has presented alongside the Solicitor of the DoL, appeared on Bloomberg News (television and radio), is regularly quoted in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal and serves as an editor of Proskauer’s Whistleblower Defense Blog.

In addition, Steven is at the forefront of defending and investigating whistleblower claims. The RAND Corporation (one of the world’s leading think-tanks) selected Steven to present at an exclusive symposium comprised of some of the most influential thought leaders and policy makers, including top officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission, on whistleblower laws and related policy issues on the eve of the issuance of the regulations to the Dodd-Frank whistleblower provisions.

Steven is deeply committed to providing pro bono services to individuals who are unable to afford legal resources.